


The Tale of the Gallant Naruto

by gladdecease



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-12-14
Updated: 2007-12-14
Packaged: 2017-10-14 05:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladdecease/pseuds/gladdecease
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One day when he is very young, Naruto finds a book with his name in the title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tale of the Gallant Naruto

One day when he is very young, Naruto finds a book.

It has a plain cover, a weird title and an author's name he doesn't recognize, but it has his name on it, right in the title.  So he keeps it safe, lined up against the collection of scrolls in the corner of his bedroom.

It disappears in there for a few years.

He finds it again when he is not much older, but a good deal smarter.  He remembers the title, and knows the name of the author (has _met_ the author, has been _trained_ by the author), and decides to read the book.

And he likes it.  The story sounds familiar - like one he had heard time and again, but never actually read - and the plot is interesting, and he likes the main character a lot.  Naruto, the character in the book, is strong and brave and funny, and fights for what's right, and never gives up.

Naruto, the person reading the book, thinks the similarities between the person and the character are a bit too much to be coincidence, but the book was published before he was born, so that can't be it.  He can't remember the author doing any research for a book like this in all the time he's known him, anyway (and the author was _never_ subtle about his research, so he would have known).

And it is about that time, scratching his head over the curiosity of the book, that he sees the signature and message to him on the inside front cover.  He reads:

> _Naruto,
> 
> Your parents have weird taste in names, to take one of my characters' names for their kid.  But they see something in the name they like - I hope you do too.
> 
> _
> 
>  _I hope you make 'Naruto' a name to be proud of, kid.  If you're anything like your dad, you'll be strong... and if you're anything like your mom, you'll act the part! (don't tell her I said that, though)_
> 
>  _Be a ninja to make the world proud, Naruto._
> 
>  _The Great Toad Sage of Mt. Myouboku,  
>  Jiraiya_

and this makes him think, for this author has taught him about jutsu and the nine-tailed fox (and women, more or less), but never about parents.

And he wonders about parents for a little while - _who were they? what happened to them? would they like him?_ \- but doesn't have much time to wonder, because he has a friend to go save.  And Naruto the person is like Naruto the character in that he will _never_ give up.

He puts it aside, and packs his bags for the (second) mission of a lifetime.

The book is forgotten for a little while longer.

But not much longer, for it is a Naruto aged, not by time, but by sadness, that finds the book again, after that mission of a lifetime is done with.

He reads the book again and again for hours, finding hints of himself, but so many more of the author.  He reads to push away the truth just a little longer, and to remember the man he hardly knew (but at the same time knew _so_ well).

It still hurts, but he never thought it wouldn't.


End file.
